Sanitary drinking-fountain



" w'. F.CURRAN SANITARY DQINKING FOUNTAIN.

APPLICATION FILED OCI-1| 1918.

Patented May 4,1920.

Snoewbo'z 1am F Curran- W @Howe/134 i UNITED STATES WILLIAM F. CURRAN, 0F .ANNAPLIS, MARYLAND.

SANITARY DRINKING-FOUNTAIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 4May 4, 1920.

Application filed October 1, 1918. Serial No. 256,480.

To all 'whom it may concern.'-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. CURRAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Annapolis, in the county of Anne Arundel and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sanitary Drinking-Fountains, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to drinking fountains, and an object of the invention is to provide a drinking vfountain of the bubbling type from which a jet of water may be di rected into the mouth and yet absolutely prevent the lips or mouth of the person drinking therefrom Vfrom contacting with the nozzle from which the jet issues.

Among the devices which have been used to considerable extent, ,wherein the flow of water is controlled by either a hand or foot lever, a small portion of the water remains in the nozzle after the flowing of the water therethrough has been cut off, and stands in the nozzle until'the fountain is again used, thus allowing the water to becomestagnant; also portions of this water will have in all probability been engaged by the mouth or lips of the person drinking from the fountain, thereby constituting a sourcev of contagion and it is an object of this invention to provide a drinking fountain wherein all of the water is drained from the nozzle after use, into the waste water outlet, also to provide, in the pipe which supplies the water to the nozzle an adjustable pressure plug to regulate the pressure of the water and further to provide a guard about the nozzle which prevents the persons mouth or lips from coming in `contact with the nozzle.

Other objectsl of the invention will appear' in the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying draw-y ing, forming a part of this specification, and in which drawing: Y

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the im-4 proved drinking fountain showing parts thereof in section.

Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal section through the mouth of the drinking fountain.

Fig. 3 is a detail section through the valve plug which controlsthe outlet of water through the nozzle.

Fig. 4 is a top planof the plug illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through the nozzle.

F ig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section through the supply pipe showing the adjustable pressure plug, and

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective of the adjustable pressure plug.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 indicatesithemainsupport or body of the sanitary drinking fountain which is of an L-shape, having connection with a waste or outlet pipe 2 at one of its open ends and having a guard 3 detachably connected to its upper or vertical end, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The guard 3 coniprises the main body portion, which gradually flares outwardly as it extends upwardly and which is of substantially the same length or height as the nozzle 4 from which the jet of water egresses. Above the jet 4, the guard 8 flares outwardly at a much greater angle thanbelow the jet, forming the flared portion 5 the beaded rim 6 of which is provided for engagement with the drinkers face to prevent'the lip and mouth of the drinker from coming in contact with the nozzle. The nozzle comprises the upper shell 7 which is threadedly connected as shown at 8 to the main supporting body 9 of the nozzle. This main supporting body 9 extends downwardly into the main body 1 and has its lower end slightly flared to provide a flat surface for engagement with the operating cam 10. kThis operating cam 10 comprises two sections one based upon each side of the water supply' pipe 11 and which sections are carried by the operating stem 12. The stem 12 hasits inner end rotatably supported in a suitable bearing 13 formed in the body 1 and its other end extending through a detachable bearing plug 14 upon the outer end of which a stu'liing box indicated at 15 is mounted to form a fluid tight connection to prevent the 4water from seeping out about the outer end of the stem. The outer end of thestem 12 is rectangular in shape as shown at 16 and receives thereon an operating handle y17 which may be at tached to the stem inv any suitable manner such as by a screw 1S..l When the handle 1T isforced downwardly, the cam members '10 engaging against the'under surface of the body 9 of the nozzlewill force this body S) and the shell 7 upwardly, moving the gasket 19 which is carried within the top of the ,shell 7 upwardly out of engagement with the valve plug 20 and allow the water to flow from the supply pipe 11 through the tortuous path indicated at 21, in the plug 20, and outwardly through the opening 22 of the head of the nozzle. The valve plug 20 is detachably connected to the upper end of the supply pipe 11 and this pipe extends slidably through the central bore of the boolj)1 9 of the nozzle structure.

The path 21 of the plug 2O is arranged,

so that when the gasket 19 engages the upper surface of the plug, the passageway will be blocked or cut oil to prevent water from passing upwardly through the valve plug and also to form a cup indicated at 22 which is drained by a transverse passageway 23, permitting any water which might remain in the upper end of the nozzle to fall into this cup, and pass through the transverse passageway 23 into the shell 7 about or eX- teriorly of the feed or supply pipe 11, thereby preventing any water which had touched the drinkers lips or mouth from returning to the supply pipe. The path 21 through which the water egresses, extends horizontally through the plug, upon each side ot its communication with the bore of the supply pipe :t'or a relatively short distance and then inclines upwardly and outwardly, having communication with the upper surface of the plug upon each side of the cup 22 as clearly shown in Fig. i oi' the drawing. The body 9 is provided with a drain opening 24E which permits the water, which passes out of the cup 22 into the shell 7 to flow out of the nozzle structure into the body 1 and outwardly through the waste pipe 2. lThe water which passes out of the bore 22 of the head of the nozzle and is not used, returns, about the outside of the nozzle through the guard 3 into the body 1 and out of this body through the waste pipe 2.

A spiral spring 25 is positioned within the nozzle cap 7 and one end of this spring engages against the upper end of the body while the other end of the spring engages against the lower end or" the plug 20, holding this plug securely in engagement with the gasket 19 except when the shell 7, gasket 19 which is carried by the shell and the body 9 are forced upwardly by the downward movement of the lever 17.

A pressure regulating plug 2G is detachably mounted in the upper end of the supply pipe 11 and this pipe is provided with a seat 27 for the lower end of the pressure regulating plug. The pressure regulating plug 26 is threaded into the upper outlet end of the supply pipe 11 and it is provided with longitudinally extending passageways 28 through which the water flows for delivery to the passageway 21 in the plug 20. The plug 26 is provided with a screw driver receiving slot or groove 29 in its upper end to facilitate its adjustment to properly reg-. ulate the pressure of water through the nozzle.

person operates thelever 17, all of the water draining from the nozzle through the ducts 23 and 24.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention;

but,

I claim:

1. In a sanitary drinking fountain, the combination, of a water supply pipe, a nozzle mounted about said supply pipe, a valve plug carried by the upper end of said supply pipe, a gasket carried by said nozzle and adapted for engagement with said valve plug to cut off the supply of water through said nozzle, means for displacing said nozzle to allow the flow of water therethrough, said valve plug provided with a pocket beneath the outlet of said nozzle for receiving water from the nozzle outlet when the valve plug and gasket are in engagement with each other, said valve plug provided with a transverse duct communicating with said pocket to drain water therefrom.

2. 1n a sanitary drinking `fountain, the combination, of a water supply pipe, a nozzle mounted about said supply pipe, a valve carried by the upper end of said supply pipe, a gasket carried by said nozzle and adapted ifor engagement with said valve plug to cut off the supply of water through said nozzle, means for displacing said nozzle to allow the flow of water therethrough, said valve plug provided with a pocket beneath the outlet of said nozzle for receiving water from the nozzle outlet when the valve plug and gasket are in engagement with each other, said valve plug provided with a transverse duct communicating with said pocket to drainwater therefrom, a spring within said nozzle and engaging the nozzleand said valve plug for holding said valve plug in engagement with said gasket.l

3. In a sanitary drinking fountain, the combination, of a water supply pipe, a nozzle mounted about said supply pipe, a valve plug carried by the upper end oi" said supply pipe, a gasket carried by said nozzle and adapted for engagement with said valve plug to out off the supplyof water through said nozzle, means for displacing said nozzle to allow the flow of water therethrough, said valve plug provided with a pocket beneath the outlet of said nozzle for receiving water from the nozzle outlet when the valve plug and gasket are in engagement with each other, said valve plug provided with a transverse duct communicating with said .pocket to drain water therefrom, a spring within said nozzle and engaging the nozzle and said valve plug for holding said valve plug in engagement with said gasket, a body having a waste pipe communicating therewith and having a portion thereof surrounding a portion of the lower end of said nozzle, and a guard carried by said body and extending upwardly about said nozzle to prevent a drinkers mouth from engaging said nozzle.

4. In a drinking fountain, the combination, of a body, a supply pipe extending upwardly through said body, a valve plug mounted upon the upper outlet end of said supply pipe, a nozzle slidably supported by said supply pipe, and having an outlet in its upper end, a gasket in said nozzle and adapted for engagement with said valve plug to cut olf the supply of water through the outlet of said nozzle, a stem rockably carried by said body, cam members Carried by said stem and engaging the lower inner end of said nozzle for moving the nozzle upwardly upon said supply pipe to move said gasket out of engagement with the valve plug to permit the flow of water through the outlet of the nozzle.

5. In a drinking fountain, the combination, of a body, a supply pipe extending upwardly through said body, a valve plug mounted upon the upper outlet end of said supply pipe, a nozzle slidably supported by said supply pipe, and having an outlet in its upper end, a gasket in said nozzle and adapted for engagement with said valve plug to cut oli the supply of water through the outlet of saidnozzle, a stem roekably carried by said body, cam members carried by said stem and engaging the lower inner end of said nozzle for moving the nozzle upwardly upon said supply pipe to move said gasket out of engagement with the valve plug to permit the flow of water through the outlet of the nozzle, said valve plug provided with a pocket having communication with the outlet of the nozzle when said gasket and valve plug are in engagement, a

transverse duet formed in said valve plug and communicating with said pocket to permit the draining of water therefrom and from the outlet of said nozzle.

6. In a drinking fountain, the combination, of a supply pipe, a valve plug carried by the upper end of said supply pipe, a nozzle mounted about said supply pipe and valve plug, and means normally holding said nozzle and plug in position to prevent the How -of water through the nozzle, said valve plug provided with a pocket beneath the outlet of the nozzle for receiving water from the nozzle outlet when the valve plug and nozzle are in position to prevent the flow of water through the nozzle, said valve plug further provided with a transverse duct communicating with the interior of the nozzle to permit water to flow from the pocket into the nozzle, said nozzle provided with a drain duct to permit water to drain therefrom, and roekable cam members for displacing said nozzle to permit the flow of water therethrough.

7. In a sanitary drinking fountain, the combination of a water supply pipe, a nozzle mounted about said supply pipe, a valve plug carried by the upper end of said supply pipe, means normally holding said nozzle and valve plug in position to prevent the flow of water through the nozzle, means for displacing said nozzle to allow the flow of water therethrough, said valve plug provided with a pocket beneath theoutlet of said nozzlel for receiving water from the nozzle outlet when the flow of water therethrough is eut ofi', said valve plugs further provided with a transverse duct communicating with said pocket to drain water therefrom, a body having a waste pipe communicating therewith and having a portion thereof surrounding a portion of the lower end of said nozzle, said valve plug transverse duct emptying into said nozzle, said nozzle provided with a `drain duct communieating with the interior of said body.

WILLIAM F. CURRAN. 

